Eoin Ryan
Question:2 Mr. E. Ryan asked the Minister for the Environment the policy implications, if any, for his remit in respect of proposals to dump rendered offal in landfill sites. [9420/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rendered Offal Disposal.
Primary responsibility for the development of environmentally sound waste management arrangements to deal with offal and-or rendered wastes rests with the meat industry. The Environmental Protection Agency, which is responsible for the licensing of rendering plants, is preparing policy guidelines in response to the new situation.
The Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992, and the Waste Management Bill, 1995, now awaiting enactment, together provide a comprehensive statutory framework for the control of the waste management arrangements involved.
Is the Minister alarmed at the comments of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry that he is considering the option of dumping 420,000 tonnes of offal in landfill sites throughout the country? I gather that the Environmental Protection Agency's report will state that such sites are not suitable for this purpose for a variety of reasons. The Minister's heart is in the right place, but the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry is saying something completly different. These sites present a major problem for those living close by. A straight answer is needed.
I am the Minister responsible for the environment. Under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Agency Act the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the quality of our environment. If there is a large quantity of offal to be disposed of, a number of options will be considered. The option of disposing of it in landfill sites will only be availed of where this is compatible with best environmental practice. A number of other options are being explored. These include incineration; rendering and incineration of the rendered by-product; freezing and storing until such time as it can be incinerated. From my perspective and that of the Environmental Protection Agency, best environmental practices will be applied to whatever solutions are required.
May I take it, therefore, that the offal will not be dumped in landfill sites as this would not be compatible with best environmental practice? Has the idea of thermal restructuring or OTT been considered as a viable proposition to get rid of the waste?
The issue is being considered by a working group comprised of representatives of my Department and a number of others. All possible methods of disposal will be considered. There is a list of possible alternatives. Any offal, carcases and by-products, such as bonemeal, will be disposed of in a way consistent with best environmental practice.